Top Member Engagement Strategies for 2026

Association leaders are navigating a pivotal moment. Members expect more personalized value, emerging technologies promise transformation, and legacy approaches to engagement are showing strain. The question isn't whether to evolve—it's how to invest wisely in strategies that drive measurable results.

According to ASAE's 2025 community benchmark research, only 11% of associations describe their value proposition as "very compelling," while half report no growth or decline in membership. Meanwhile, organizations that enable multiple meaningful interactions per year outside of events are building the most loyal member bases.

The challenge? Not every engagement strategy delivers equal ROI. Some are table stakes; others represent strategic differentiators. Here's an honest assessment of six major engagement strategies—complete with their upsides, limitations, and where they fit in your 2026 roadmap.

1. AI Chatbots: Modernizing Member Support

The Strategy: AI-powered chatbots (like BettyBot) provide 24/7 automated support, answering member questions by searching your association's knowledge base in real-time.

The Opportunity

Modern members expect instant answers. According to research on AI adoption in associations, AI chatbots can significantly improve member satisfaction by providing immediate assistance without staff intervention. For associations, chatbots offer two compelling advantages:

• Accessible knowledge delivery: Members can find answers in their flow of work, positioning your association as a trusted, convenient resource

• Strategic insights: Chatbot data reveals what members are searching for, informing your content and programming strategy

The conversational AI market is projected to grow from $10.7 billion in 2023 to $29.8 billion by 2028, reflecting widespread recognition that instant, personalized support is now an expectation, not a luxury.

Example Vendors

• BettyBot

• 42 Chat

Limitations

AI chatbots compete directly with consumer-grade tools members already use. When ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity can answer questions in seconds without requiring a login, why would members navigate to your website first? The chatbot war is already won—by Big Tech.

Additionally, chatbots don't create connection. They're transactional by nature, offering convenience but not community. For engagement beyond information delivery, you'll need complementary strategies.

Bottom line: Chatbots are valuable for operational efficiency and member convenience, but they won't differentiate your value proposition or deepen member relationships. Treat them as hygiene, not strategy.

2. Mentorship Programs: High Impact, Hard to Scale

The Strategy: Structured mentorship programs (often supported by platforms like Art of Mentoring or Mentor Collective) pair experienced professionals with those seeking guidance and career development.

The Opportunity

The data on mentorship is unequivocal. Research shows mentees are 5 times more likely to be promoted than those without mentors, while mentors themselves are 6 times more likely to advance in their careers. For associations, mentorship programs check two critical boxes: they address young professionals' top career development need and demonstrate measurably high ROI for participants.

A comprehensive analysis found that 76% of people think mentors are important, yet only 37% currently have one—creating a clear gap associations are well-positioned to fill. When executed well, mentorship creates lasting bonds between members and generates powerful word-of-mouth recruitment.

Example Vendors

• Mentor Collective (shameless plug; I was the founder)

• Art of Mentoring

Limitations

Mentorship programs face a persistent scaling challenge. Most associations serve only 5-10% of their membership through formal mentorship, constrained by the intensive work of recruiting mentors, managing matches, and maintaining engagement. Even with dedicated software, the human coordination required remains substantial.

The paradox: mentorship is most valuable to early-career members who need connections but least accessible to them because volunteer mentors are limited. Without technology to dramatically reduce administrative burden, mentorship remains a boutique offering rather than a membership-wide benefit.

Bottom line: Mentorship delivers transformative value but typically reaches too few members. Invest here if you can overcome the operational bottleneck—or consider how cohort-based peer learning can scale similar benefits more broadly.

3. Community Platforms: Expected but Often Underutilized

The Strategy: Dedicated online community platforms (like Higher Logic, Circle, or HiveBrite) provide branded spaces for member discussions, resource sharing, and ongoing interaction.

The Opportunity

Community platforms have become table stakes. Higher Logic's 2025 association benchmarks show that communities integrating volunteering and mentoring see 2.4× more logins and nearly 2× more contributors than those without these features. When done well, online communities create year-round engagement touchpoints beyond events.

The value compounds when communities are integrated with other programs. Communities incorporating job boards see nearly 2× logins and contributors, while those with chapters and microsites have 2.6× more logins. The platform itself isn't the differentiator—it's how strategically you activate it.

Example Vendors

• HigherLogic

• Circle

• Hivebrite

Limitations

Here's the uncomfortable truth: your community platform competes with Reddit, LinkedIn Groups, and dozens of other spaces where professionals already congregate. Research on community engagement platforms shows that while tools have become more sophisticated, creating consistent engagement requires ongoing content strategy, moderation, and member activation—not just platform deployment.

The biggest risk? The "engagement graveyard" effect. A community with sparse activity signals abandonment to prospective members, potentially damaging your brand more than having no platform at all. Success requires either critical mass participation or ruthlessly curated, high-value content.

Bottom line: Community platforms are necessary infrastructure for modern associations, but they're not engagement solutions on their own. Pair them with structured programs (committees, cohorts, mentorship) that give members reasons to return.

4. Newsletters: Reliable Reach, Limited Depth

The Strategy: Regular email newsletters (platforms like Rasa help optimize delivery) keep members informed with curated industry news, member updates, and association announcements.

The Opportunity

Email remains remarkably effective. Higher Logic's research found that association community digest emails have a 56% open rate—significantly higher than typical marketing email benchmarks of 36%. For reaching your full membership efficiently, newsletters are unmatched.

The economic case is equally compelling. Newsletters offer low production costs, high reach, and opportunities for non-dues revenue through sponsor advertising. Email marketing generates an average ROI of $36 for every $1 spent, making it one of the most cost-effective channels available.

Example Vendors

• Rasa

• HigherLogic

Limitations

Newsletters are inherently one-way communication in an era where members are drowning in content. Recent research shows association email open rates are declining as members receive more messages and become more selective about engagement.

More fundamentally, newsletters don't create human connection. They inform, but they don't engage in the deeper sense—fostering relationships, facilitating collaboration, or building community. When 81% of B2B marketers already use email newsletters as their primary content marketing method, simply matching the approach won't differentiate your value.

Bottom line: Newsletters are essential for awareness and communication, but they won't transform member engagement. Use them to drive traffic to higher-value experiences—events, cohorts, or community discussions—rather than treating them as the engagement strategy itself.

5. Online Courses: Revenue Potential with Significant Investment

The Strategy: Learning Management Systems (like D2L and Blue Sky eLearn) enable associations to deliver structured online courses, certifications, and continuing education at scale.

The Opportunity

Online learning is booming. The global LMS market is expected to reach $28.1 billion by 2025, driven by professionals' appetite for flexible, self-paced upskilling. For associations with recognized credentials or industry-specific expertise, online courses offer a legitimate non-dues revenue stream.

The best example? Project Management Institute (PMI) has built a substantial education business around its Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, which remains the gold standard in the field. PMI demonstrates how associations with strong brands and necessary credentials can monetize education effectively. Research shows that 77% of U.S. organizations rely on eLearning for professional development, creating clear demand for quality content.

Example Vendors

• D2L

• Blue Sky eLearn

Limitations

Creating compelling online courses requires significant investment—in content development, instructional design, platform infrastructure, and ongoing maintenance. Unlike newsletters or chatbots, quality online courses can't be implemented on a shoestring budget.

More challenging: your courses compete with Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, YouTube, and thousands of other free and low-cost alternatives. Unless your content is truly differentiated—tied to required certifications, insider industry knowledge, or peer networking—it's difficult to command premium pricing or high completion rates.

Not every association has a PMP-level credential to build around. For many, online courses represent a heavy lift with uncertain returns.

Bottom line: Online courses can be powerful revenue drivers if you have established credibility, required credentials, or unique expertise. Otherwise, the investment may exceed the return, especially for smaller associations without existing educational infrastructure.

6. Cohorts (Peer Learning): A Strategic Differentiator

The Strategy: Cohort-based or peer learning programs organize members into small groups for structured, facilitated learning and connection over time.

The Opportunity

Cohort-based learning addresses the top two reasons professionals join associations: networking and continuing education. Unlike passive content consumption, cohorts create active learning communities where members develop relationships, share challenges, and grow together.

What makes cohorts particularly powerful for associations? They scale human connection in ways Big Tech cannot replicate. While ChatGPT can answer questions and LinkedIn can facilitate introductions, neither can curate eight members facing similar strategic challenges into a monthly or quarterly peer advisory group. Neither can facilitate the vulnerable conversation between a veteran navigating career transitions and a newcomer seeking guidance.

And cohorts can accompany and supercharge existing courses. While self-paced courses see completion rates as low as 3%, cohort-based programs consistently achieve rates above 90%. This isn't marginal improvement—it's a 30x difference driven by social accountability, peer support, and structured progression.

Research shows that communities incorporating volunteering and mentoring programs see 2.4× more engagement than those without—validating that structured peer connection drives measurably better outcomes than passive platforms alone.

Example Vendors

• RallyBoard

Limitations

Cohorts require thoughtful design and—historically—significant staff coordination. Forming well-matched groups, scheduling across time zones, maintaining engagement momentum, and providing facilitation support can overwhelm lean teams.

That's why cohort-based engagement remained limited for so long: it delivered extraordinary value but seemed impossible to scale without proportionally scaling staff.

This is no longer the case. AI-powered platforms can now automate the historically labor-intensive parts—intelligent matching based on member profiles, automated scheduling that finds group availability, engagement nudges that keep cohorts active, and analytics that surface which groups thrive. Technology handles logistics; staff focuses on program strategy and quality.

Bottom line: Peer learning represents associations' most defensible competitive advantage—what only you can provide through trusted curation and shared professional identity. With modern technology removing scaling barriers, cohorts are no longer limited to serving 100 members. They can reach thousands while maintaining the intimacy that drives transformation.

Frankly, we at RallyBoard don't see a downside. That's exactly why we advocate for this approach in every association's toolkit.

Where to Focus in 2026

Not all engagement strategies are created equal. Here's how to think about prioritization:

Foundational (necessary but not differentiating):

• AI chatbots for operational efficiency

• Newsletters for broad communication

• Community platforms as infrastructure

High-impact but challenging to scale:

• Mentorship programs (limit reach without technology)

• Online courses (require significant investment)

Strategic differentiator:

• Cohort-based peer learning (scales connection without proportionally scaling staff)

The associations that thrive in 2026 won't try to do everything. They'll double down on strategies that deliver disproportionate value—especially those that create human connection at scale, the one thing technology platforms cannot replicate.

The content war is over. Associations lost to YouTube, ChatGPT, and LinkedIn. But the connection war? That's just beginning. And it's the war associations are built to win.